A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels, Volume 17 eBook

These being a desperate and factious set, did not
distress us much by their departure, but rather added
to our future security. One in particular, James
Mitchell by name, we had all the reason in the world
to think had committed no less than two murders since
the loss of our ship, one on the person found strangled
on board, another on the body of a man whom we discovered
among some bushes upon Mount Misery, stabbed in several
places, and shockingly mangled. This diminution
of our number was succeeded by an unfortunate accident
much more affecting in its consequences, I mean the
death of Mr Cozens, midshipman; in relating which with
the necessary impartiality and exactness, I think
myself obliged to be more than ordinary particular.
Having one day among other things, got a cask of pease
out of the wreck, about which I was almost constantly
employed, I brought it to shore in the yawl, when
having landed it, the captain came down upon the beach,
and bid me to go up to some of the tents and order
hands to come down and roll it up; but finding none
except Mr Cozens, I delivered him the orders, who
immediately came down to the captain, where I left
them when I returned to the wreck. Upon my coming
on shore again, I found that Mr Cozens was put under
confinement by the captain for being drunk and giving
him abusive language; however, he was soon after released.
A day or two after he had some dispute with the surgeon,
and came to blows: all these things incensed
the captain greatly against him. I believe this
unfortunate man was kept warm with liquor, and set
on by some ill-designing persons; for, when sober,
I never knew a better-natured man, or one more inoffensive.
Some little time after, at the hour of serving provisions,
Mr Cozens was at the store-tent; and having, it seems,
lately had a quarrel with the purser, and now some
words arising between them, the latter told him he
was come to mutiny; and without any further ceremony
fired a pistol at his head, which narrowly missed
him. The captain, hearing the report of the pistol,
and perhaps the purser’s words, that Cozens was
come to mutiny, ran out of his hut with a cocked pistol
in his hand, and, without asking any questions, immediately
shot him through the head. I was at this time
in my hut, as the weather was extremely bad, but running
out upon the alarm of this firing, the first thing
I saw was Mr Cozens on the ground weltering in his
blood: he was sensible, and took me by the hand,
as he did several others, shaking his head, as if
he meant to take leave of us. If Mr Cozens’
behaviour to his captain was indecent and provoking,
the captain’s, on the other hand, was rash and
hasty. If the first was wanting in that respect
and observance which is due from a petty officer to
his commander, the latter was still more unadvised
in the method he took for the enforcement of his authority;
of which, indeed, he was jealous to the last degree,
and which he saw daily declining, and ready to be